Sheet feeding machines



1956 H. T. BACKHOUSE SHEET FEEDING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct.31, 1951 INVEN To R Arrakue'vs 1956 H. T. BACKHOUSE I 2,734,744

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Uflitfrd States 2,734,744 r I SHEET FEEDING MACHINES Headley TownsendBackhouse, Nassau, Bahamas, British West Indies Application October 31,1951, Serial No. 254,026

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 2, 1950 6 Claims.(Cl. 271-62) The invention relates to machines for feeding paper andlike sheets to printing or other machines,and is concerned with sheetfeeding machines of the kind (herein referred to as sheet feedingmachines of the kind described) having primary and secondary elevatingmeans by which a pile of sheets may be elevated to devices for removingthe sheets one by one from the top of a pile, the rate of elevationbeing so controlled as to maintain the top of the pile at asubstantially constant height, and the elevation of the pile beingeffective initially by the primary means and the pile then beingtransferred to the secondary means which continues the elevation so thatthe primary means may be lowered to take a fresh pile whereby asubstantially continuous supply of sheets may be made available to theremoving devices, the primary and secondary elevating devices eachcomprising lifting chains, wires, racks or the like at the front andback of the machine and primary and secondary crossbars interconnectingthe chains or the like, and arranged to support a pileboard carrying thepile, and the machine also having stacking gauges by which the front ofeach pile is positioned and is guided as the pile is elevated. Thesheets removed from the pile by the removing devices are usually fed tothe printing or other machine by conveyor means. It is also usual thatthere are devices associated with the conveyor means or the printingmachine for obtaining exact registration of the sheets. One example of asheet feeding machine of this kind is disclosed in United Statesapplication Serial No. 718,201, filed December 24, 1946, now abandoned.

One object of the present invention is to improve the adaptability andsimplicity of operation of machines of the above kind. 7

In some installations of machines of the kind described it is necessaryor convenient to insert the piles of sheets to be elevated into themachine from the back of the machine (considered in relation to thedirection of removal of the individual sheets) and in otherinstallations it is necessary or convenient to insert the piles ofsheets from one side of the machine. A more specific object of theinvention is to provide one construction of machine which may readily beadapted for insertion of the piles from the back or from the side.

The invention consists of a sheet feeding machine of the kind describedcharacterised by the features that, as viewed from the side of themachine, the primary elevating chains or the like are outside thesecondary elevating chains or the like, the primary elevating chains orthe like at the front of the machine are in front of ,the stackinggauges (i. e. on the side of the gauges remote from the pile) and theprimary supporting crossbars extend in the fore and aft direction.

Preferably both the primary and the second elevating chains or the like,as viewed from the rear of the machine, are outside the positionwhichwould be occupied by a pile of the maximum width for which themachineis constructed.

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another form of this arrangement the pile carrying means haveprojections extending forwardly between the front stacking gauges torest on the secondary support bar. The pile carrying means may be inaddition to a pileboard and may be arranged to be withdrawn rearwardlyof the machine.

The primary elevating means may comprise two chains at each side of themachine, and the two chains at each side may be supported on sprocketwheels carried on a shaft at that side and extending in a fore and aftdirection. The secondary elevating means may also comprise chain andsupporting sprocket wheels on a shaft arranged like the primary means,and the primary and secondary supporting shafts at each side may beconcentric. In machines of the kind described it is necessary totransfer a support board or a set of supporting strips from the primaryto the secondary elevating means to constitute a support for the pile,and it is necessary, when the pile is exhausted or shortly beforeexhaustion, to withdraw the support. The arrangement just described,permits a support board having a straight front edge, normally restingagainst the stacking gauges, to be employed thereby facilitatingwithdrawal of the board to one side of the machine should that bedesired. Preferably the board is divided in its width into two partswhich may be withdrawn from opposite sides of the machine.

Three specific constructions and arrangements of machines according tothe invention will now be described by way of example and with referenceto the drawings which are largely schematic and in which:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of one of the machines,

Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1 but showing analternative arrangement of the machine,

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the upper part of the thirdconstruction of the machine, and

Figure 4 is a side view of the machine shown in Figure 3, including thelower part.

Each ofthe machines forming the subject of these examples is arranged toelevate a pile 1 of sheets to mechanism (not shown) for separating eachuppermost sheet from the pile in turn and for forwarding the sheet to atape conveyor 2, the conveyor taking the separated sheets to a printingor other machine.

In the machine shown in Figure 1 there is at each side of the machineprimary and secondary elevating means.

It is also preferred that the secondary chains or the The arrangement ofthe two sides is similar and for the sake of clarity the followingdescription relates only to the arrangement at one side.

At the top of the machine there is a pair of nested concentric shaftsextending in the fore and aft direction. The inner shaft 3 is of solidform and the outer shaft 4 is in the form of a sleeve shorter than theinner shaft and arranged so that the inner shaft extends therefrom atboth ends. The inner shaft 3 is allocated to the primary chains 5, 6 andthe sleeve 4 is allocated to the secondary chains 7, 8. The inner shaft3 carries adjacent to its ends two sprocket'wheels 9, 10 over which theprimary elevating chains 5, 6 pass. The chains 5, 6 hang freely from thesprocket wheels 9, 10 and one end of each chain is attached to a supportbar 11 on which a pileboard 12 may be'supported, the bar 11 extending inthe fore and aft direction. The other end of each chain 5, 6 is providedwith a' counterbalance weight 13 which assists in maintaining the chain5 6 in position on its sprocket wheel 9, 10.

At the ends of the outer shaft 4 there are sprocket wheels 14, overwhich the secondary chains 7, 8 pass, the arrangement of the secondarychains 7, 8 being similar to that of the primary chains 5, 6 with theexception that the spacing between them is less and the support bar16 iscorrespondingly shorter.

Each inner shaft 3 and each outer shaft 4 at the two sides of themachines carries a worm wheel 18, 19. The two wheels 18 areinterconnected by a cross-shaft 20 carrying worms 21 engaging the wheels18 so that rotation of the cross-shaft 20 effects simultaneous rotationof the shafts 3. Similarly the worm wheels 19 are interconnected by across-shaft 22 carrying worms .23 engaging the wheels 1% so thatrotation of the cross-shaft effects simultaneous rotation of the outershafts 4.

The machine is provided with vertically extending front stacking gauges25 which serve to locate the front edge of the pile 1 during theinsertion of the pile and also during its elevation. The primary chains6, the secondary chains 8 and the supporting sprocket wheels 10, 15 arein front A of the pile stacking gauges 25.

At the top of the machine there is a horizontal flap 26 (shown moreclearly in Figures. 3 and 4) for the purpose of leading the front edgeof the sheet to the conveyor and for correcting any displacement of theremaining sheets, the flap moving against the pile for that purpose.

In use a pileboard 12 is loaded on to the support bars 11 and a pile ofsheets 27 is built up on the board 12, the front edge of the board 12and the front face of the pile 27 abutting the front stacking gauges 25.In an alternative method of use a pileboard 12 complete with pile isfirst placed in position against the front stacking gauges 25, and theprimary chains 5, 6 and bars 11 are lowered and the bars 11 engagedunderneath the pile board 12. The inner driving shafts 3 are thenrotated by means of the cross-shaft 20 and worm drive to elevate thepiie by means of the primary chains 5, 6. The rate of elevation iscontrolled in known manner to maintain the top of the pile at asubstantially constant height as the sheets are removed. When thepileboard 12 has reached a convenient height the secondary support bars16 and the secondary elevating chains 7, 8 are swung outwardly to clearthe edge of the pileboard 12 and are then engaged underneath the board.The secondary elevating means are then operated to continue theelevation of the pile while the primary chains 5, 6 and support bars 11are lowered ready to receive and elevate a new pile. When the new pileis ready the primary means are operated (e. g. manually or electrically)to bring the top of the new pile into engagement with the underside ofthe pileboard 1.2 supporting the preceding pile. The elevation of thetwo piles is the continued by the primary means. When the first pile isnearly exhausted the upper pileboard is removed in the sidewaysdirection, the remainder of the pile falling onto the top of the newpile. The secondary elevating means are then lowered to receive at theappropriate time a fresh pile and board supported by the primary means.The transfer to the secondary means is effected when the board hasreached a height which enables another pile to be built or insertedbeneath the board. To effect the transfer the secondary support bars 16are swung clear of the edges of the board, are lowered beneath the boardand raised to engage the board so as to take over the supportof theboard from the primary means in the manner already described.

To assist in the removal of the pileboard with a minimum of disturbanceof the sheets strips of smooth material (e. g. flexible plasticmaterial) are placed between the board and the pile it supports and alsobetween the top of the new pile and the underneath of the board. Thesestrips have their ends extending from the pile and turned to lie againstthe face of the pile and during the removal of the board the ends may besupported, e. -g. against support bars or the equivalent. M

. the projections.

In the alternative construction shown in Figure 2 the pileboard 30 has awidth, as viewed from the back of the machine, less than the spacebetween the support bars 11 and the board is placed on pile irons 31carried on the support bars 11 and extending between them. The secondarysupport bars 32, 33 extend crosswise of the machine and the bar 33 is infront of the front stacking gauges 25, i. e. on the side of the gaugesremote from the pile. The machine includes a side stacking gauge 34.

in the operation of this arrangement of the machine a set of strips 35is inserted between the pile 27 and the pileboard 30, the ends of thestrips 35 projecting forwardly between and outside the front stackinggauges 25. The pile is initially elevated by the primary elevating meansand when it reaches a convenient height the secondary support bars 32,33 are swung outwardly to clear the ends of the strips 35 and are thenengaged underneath the strips. The secondary elevating means are thenoperated to continue the elevation of the strips 35 and the pile carriedthereby while the primary elevating means and the pileboard 30 arelowered ready to receive and elevate a new pile. When the new pile isready the primary means are operated to bring the top of the new pileinto engagement with the underside of the strips of the preceding pile.The elevation of the two piles is then continued by the primary meansuntil the first pile is nearly exhausted when the strips are removed inthe rearwards direction, the remainder of the first pile falling back onto the top of the lower pile.

In the machine shown in Figures '3 and 4 the primary elevating means areconstructed and arranged for operation in the manner just described withreference to Figure 2. The secondary elevating means have support bars40, 41 which extend crosswise of the pile, the bar 41 being in front ofthe front stacking gauges 25. The support bar is provided with a singlepawl 42 pivoted to the bar 40 extending along the full length thereof.The support bar 41 has four individual pawls 43 pivoted to the bar 41which project to the rear of the stacking gauges 25. The support bar 40is backed by guide strips 44, and the support bar 41 is guided in slots45 in guide bars 46. The pileboard 48 rests. on the pawls 42 and 43 andis, in this construction, divided in the fore and aft direction of themachine into two parts of equal width.

In the operation of the machine shown in Figures 3 and 4 a pile andpileboard are loaded on to the primary elevating means as described withreference to Figure 2 except that the strips 35 are omitted. The primaryelevating means are elevated until the pileboard 48 engages and deflectsthe pawls 42, 43, which pawls fall back heneath the board 48. Thesecondary elevating means are then operated to elevate the pileboard 48by engagement of the pawls 42, 43 with the board 48.

As in the previous examples a second pile is built on the primaryelevating means and is raised to engage the underside of the first pileand to continue the elevation thereof. Figure 4 shows the arrangementjust before the second pile engages the board of the first. When thefirst pile is nearly exhausted the two portions of the pileboard areremoved in the sideways direction of the machine as indicated in brokenlines in Figure 3.

In each of the above examples both the primary and the secondaryelevating chains as viewed from the rear of the machine are outside theposition which would be occupied by a pile of the maximum width forwhich the machine is constructed.

It is within the invention to modify the arrangement shown in Figures 3and 4by replacement of the pawls on the front secondary support bar byfixed lips or projections which project rearwardly beyond the stackinggauges. With this modified arrangement the guide bars 46 are arranged topermit forward movement of the support bar to enable the pileboard tomove upwardly past For this purpose the guide bars are pivoted at theirupper ends about an axis transverse to the machine. The support bar 40may be similarly arranged.

I claim:

1. A sheet feeding machine comprising a front stacking gauge forlocating the front of a pile of sheets within the machine, a pile-boardfor carrying a pile of sheets engaging said gauge, primary means forelevating said pileboard including at each side of the machine at thefront and back thereof vertically extending members, a subframe carriedby the members and means for raising said members, said pile-board beingcarried by said Sub-frame and located wholly between said elevatingmembers as viewed from the side of the machine and between saidelevating members at the back as viewed from the back.

of the machine, secondary means for elevating a pile of sheets and thepile-board supporting it transferred thereto from the primary supportingmeans, said secondary elevating means including vertically extendingelevating members at the front and back of the machine at each sidethereof, means for raising said secondary elevating members, and twopile-supporting-cross-bars extending transversely of the machine betweensaid two secondary elevating members at the front and back respectively,said front secondary elevating members and said front crossbar being infront of the said front stacking gauge and having projections extendingto the rear side of said gauge adapted to support a pile-board on therear side, and said back cross-bar having pile-board supporting meansprojecting beyond the front of said rear elevating members.

2. A sheet feeding machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the sub-frameaforesaid comprises two pilesupporting side bars one at each side of themachine and attached to the front and back members, and two spacedcross-bars extending transversely of the machine and attached to theside bars intermediate between the elevating members, the cross-barsbeing arranged to carry an unattached pile-board seated thereon.

3. A sheet feeding machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the rearwardprojections aforesaid from the front secondary cross-bar are constitutedby pawls pivoted to the cross-bar for upwards and forwards movement andhaving means preventing downwards pivotal movement beyond apile-supporting position.

4. A sheet feeding machine as claimed in claim 1, and including apile-board constructed to seat on the projections andpile-board-supporting-means aforesaid and divided in the fore and aftdirection into two parts.

5. A sheet feeding machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the primaryand the secondary elevating members are chains, in which the means forraising the members comprise, for each chain, a sprocket wheel fromwhich the chain is directly dependent, the sprocket wheels for theprimary chains at each side of the machine being secured to a supportingshaft extending in the fore and aft direction, the sprocket wheels forthe secondary chains at each side of the machine being secured to asecond supporting shaft also extending in the fore and aft direction,and the primary and secondary shafts at each side being in coaxialnested relation.

6. A sheet feeding machine as claimed in claim 3, and including guidesfor the secondary cross-bars constraining the cross-bars to movevertically.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS912,563 Gustafson Feb. 16, 1909 2,204,985 Foweraker June 18, 19402,247,466 Baker' July 1, 1941 2,368,094 Baker Jan. 30, 1945 2,549,364Bobst Apr. 17, 1951

